How to reply to Google reviews, with example replies

Short on time? Paste a review into our free Review Reply Writer and get 3 replies to copy. It's free, there's no sign-up, and it never posts anything for you.

Google's own help page says helpful replies "can show that you're responsive to your customers" (Google Business Profile Help). Once you know the pattern, a good reply takes about a minute.

The pattern for a good review (4 or 5 stars)

1. Use their first name. It reads like a person wrote it.
2. Mention one thing they said. The quick fix, the clean kitchen, the waiter who knew the menu.
3. Keep it to 2 or 3 sentences. Don't paste the same reply under every review.
4. Make no promises you can't keep. Leave out discounts and offers you haven't decided on.

The pattern for a bad review (1 to 3 stars)

1. Stay calm and thank them, even if the review feels unfair.
2. Apologise once for the experience. Don't argue about the details in public.
3. Take it offline. Give a phone number or email and a name to ask for.
4. Flag reviews that break Google's rules instead of replying angrily (how to report a review). Keep your own reply polite too: Google checks replies against its content policies before they appear (source).

Example replies

These are made-up examples to show the pattern. The businesses and reviewers aren't real.

Plumber

5 stars, from "Dave": "Came out the same evening for a burst pipe under the sink. Fixed it fast and cleaned up after."

> Thanks, Dave. A burst pipe in the evening is stressful, and we're glad we could get there the same night and leave the kitchen clean. Save our number in case you ever need us again.

2 stars, from "Kim": "Fixed the leak but showed up two hours late with no call."

> Hi Kim, thank you for telling us, and we're sorry about the wait without a call. That's not how we want to treat anyone. Please call us at [phone] and ask for [name] so we can make it right.

AC repair

5 stars, from "Luis": "AC died in the middle of a heat wave. The tech explained the problem and the price before starting."

> Thanks, Luis. Nobody wants a dead AC in a heat wave, and we're glad the price was clear before any work started. Stay cool out there.

1 star, from "Tara": "Charged me for a visit and the unit stopped working again two days later."

> Hi Tara, we're sorry the unit stopped working again so soon. We'd like to look into what happened. Please email [email] or call [phone] with your service date, and we'll follow up directly.

Restaurant

5 stars, from "Priya": "Best brunch we've had in months. The server remembered we had a toddler and brought crayons."

> Thank you, Priya. We'll pass your kind words to the team, and the crayons are always ready. We hope to see the whole family at brunch again soon.

How to post your reply

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your verified Business Profile and go to your profile.
2. Select Read reviews, then Reply next to the review.
3. Paste the reply, read it once, and select Reply. Google checks it first (usually within 10 minutes), then it appears publicly under the review as the business, not under your personal name (source).

Let a tool write the first draft

Paste one review (stars, reviewer's name, text) into the free Review Reply Writer and get 3 short replies that use their name and what they mentioned. For 1 to 3 star reviews you get a calm take-it-offline reply plus tips. Copy one, read it, and post it yourself. The tool never posts anything to Google.

Not sure which reviews still need a reply? On the same page, type your business name and city. It shows your newest public Google reviews, marks the ones with no reply yet, and writes a ready reply for up to 3 of the unanswered 4 and 5 star ones. You still post them yourself.